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CNN Live Sunday
Preparations Under Way in Baghdad to Crack Down on Insurgents
Aired May 29, 2005 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It is 11:00 a.m. at Arlington National Cemetery, 7:00 p.m. in Baghdad where preparations are under way for a crack down on insurgents. Hello everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. Ahead this hour, stopping the insurgents. Coalition troops gear up for a new security offensive. We'll have a live report from Baghdad on operation lightening. Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TORI HALL, CAMPER: It's hard, but you'll make it through. I mean, you will go on. You will start over your life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Children who have suffered an incredible loss try to cope and learn from each other.
And she has a need for speed. Will she outpace them all? Her race to the finish line straight ahead, but first a look at the top stories.
Five bombings and a shooting leaves 17 people dead across Iraq as U.S. and Iraqi troops prepare to turn up the heat on insurgents. The offensive is called operation lightning. CNN's Ryan Chilcote joins us live from Baghdad with more on that in a minute.
Israel cabinet has approved the second phase of a Palestinian prisoner release plan. Under the plan, about 400 prisoners would be freed. About 500 others were released just over three months ago. The release is part of a promise by Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon when he met with Palestinian authority president Mahmoud Abbas in Egypt last February.
Pope Benedict XVI continued his theme of unity as he made his first papal trip today. The pope, who was elected last month, visited a seaport on Italy's Adriatic coast. During his visit, he vowed to work on ending a thousand-year-old rift with the Orthodox Church.
Our top story, Iraq. The death toll is high, tensions are rising and it looks like U.S. troops in Baghdad will get no rest this Memorial Day weekend. Already today, at least 17 people killed in the escalation of insurgent attacks in the capital. Iraqi and U.S. troops are preparing a massive crackdown dubbed "operation lightning." CNN's Ryan Chilcote has details live from Baghdad. Ryan? RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka. We can already see the preparations underway that are being set up by Iraq's security forces. It's all part of "operation lightning." Those security forces are out there right now, setting up checkpoints for what the Iraqi military and police are calling their largest operation ever since the fall of Saddam Hussein. Some 40,000 troops from the Iraqi interior ministry and defense ministries are said to take part in this operation. They're going to be going out, setting up more than 600 checkpoints, fanning out across the city, really trying to seal off the city limits. It's basically, if you will, a cordon and search operation on steroids. Their plan is to try and search as many vehicles as they can and as many homes. The whole goal of this operation really is to try to put a stop to the violence that we've seen here in Iraq over the last month in which nearly 700 Iraqi have been killed. Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Ryan, it seems the violence continues to keep pace, with 17 dead across Iraq. Is there any particular target in these insurgent attacks, meaning are they after Iraqi police or recruits once again for Iraqi security forces?
CHILCOTE: You know, the targets are all over the place today. We've seen Iraqi security forces targeted. In fact, the most recent attack is actually still underway in southern Baghdad, was targeting Iraqi security forces there. Insurgents began by opening up fire, automatic weapons fire on a police patrol just outside of a police station. The police brought in some backup. That's when the insurgents used a car bomb on them and now apparently there's a full- scale firefight underway outside of that police station. We understand at least three people have already been killed there, putting the death toll at 20 already and 35 wounded today.
That in addition to several other attacks that were not targeting Iraqi security forces, one just a little bit earlier than that today in the Iraqi capital outside of the oil ministry. This one was a car bomb detonated by a suicide bomber. It was outside of the fortifications of the base. So the Iraqi police saying that it could have been a lot worse than it was. Still, two people were killed in that attack and another eight wounded. Then there was another car bomb attack just south of Kirkuk, there outside of a school, unfortunately, the military telling us that some of the dead there are children. That attack killed at least two and wounded nine.
And there was another attack, again, a car bomb that went off in the city of Mosul in just a residential neighborhood. All of the people killed in that attack appear to just be bystanders, Iraqi bystanders going about their business. This all coming as a senior U.S. military intelligence official tells us that they've seen a record number of car bombings this month in Iraq, already more than 142 car bombings in the month of May. That beats the record month of April in which there were 135 car bombs. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right. Ryan Chilcote from Baghdad. Thanks so much.
CNN security watch, airline safety, protecting commercial jets against missiles. According to the "New York Times," a missile defense system will soon be installed on the belly of an American Airlines Boeing 767 in Fort Worth, Texas. It will be one of three jets to test the infrared laser-based defense system designed to detect and disable shoulder-fired missiles. Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
On this Memorial Day weekend, Americans are paying tribute to fallen heroes, the men and women who have given their lives for their country, looking now at live pictures from Arlington National cemetery in Virginia. The third U.S. infantry known as the old guard have placed more than 280,000 American flags at grave sites and other areas throughout the cemetery. The tradition known as flags in, dates back four decades.
As he honors the nation's war dead, President Bush is also paying tribute to American troops who are now serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the world. Tomorrow Mr. Bush will take part in the annual wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. CNN national correspondent Bob Franken is at the White House with more on the president's Memorial Day weekend plans.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And of course, this has a particular poignancy, Fredricka, because the president himself describes himself as a wartime president.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN (voice-over): When he returns from Camp David, commander in chief Bush will lead the nation in another solemn Memorial Day salute to those presidents have ordered into battle.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today a new generation of Americans is making its own sacrifice on behalf of peace and freedom and some have given their lives.
FRANKEN: The number of members of the U.S. armed forces who have died in Iraq this month alone is the largest since the country's elections began, what the administration repeatedly describes as a reduced role for the United States military and a growing role for the Iraqis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're going to be writing the constitution this summer that will lead to elections under that constitution later this year. They'll be a brand new government in place, duly elected under a newly-written constitution by the end of the year.
FRANKEN: In their radio address, the opposition Democrats featured former NATO commander and presidential candidate Wesley Clark.
WESLEY CLARK, FMR NATO COMMANDER: It's just a matter of priorities. What could be more important for government than taking care of the men and women who keep our country safe and strong? I believe as Democrats we have our priorities right.
FRANKEN: In Iraq, as well as Afghanistan, U.S. combat troops will continue to fight and die adding to the millions who are remembered by a country that honors their sacrifice.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: And even as they are remembered, it is inescapable, Fredricka, that this is another wartime period that's highly controversial -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Bob, the president heads back to the White House today. What's on his agenda for this week?
FRANKEN: Well, the administration has an awful lot going to right now, including a full-scale review of the anti-terrorism policies. The new emphasis on the global war on terrorism which, of course, has focused on al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, but now there is a genuine debate going on in the administration whether, because al Qaeda has to some degree been neutralized, it needs to be expanded in all of the facets of violent terror.
WHITFIELD: All right. Bob Franken at the White House, thanks so much.
And this programming note, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and joint chiefs of staff Chairman General Richard Myers will be addressing a veteran's group in Washington, D.C. today at 4:00 Eastern. CNN plans live coverage of that.
Behind every one of the war dead honored this Memorial Day weekend are loved ones who have suffered an indescribable loss. A special camp helps the children in particular cope and recover. Kathleen Koch has their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He'd do pushups and we'd all get on his back. And he'd pick us up. He'd go up and then down, and up and down.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Memories of a father no longer alive. Memories military children feel safe to share at Good Grief Camp.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you miss now -- because (INAUDIBLE)?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I never got to know him.
KOCH: The Virginia program pairs children who've lost a loved one with a military mentor, some who've seen their own parents die in military tragedies.
MICKI KUZEWSKI, MENTOR: So, I had to step up and kind of take over and really be there for my mom. And whatever you guys do, don't ever lose your youth. Just enjoy it while you can.
KOCH: Airman First Class Mickey Kuzewski's father, Michael, died in 1996 in a helicopter collision at Camp Lejeune.
KUZEWSKI: I wanted to touch another child's life, and really help them out and guide them through the process of grieving.
PATRICIA LATHAM, GOOD GRIEF CAMPER: He was going to bomb this building, and when he did a piece of metal got right in here, and it got into things so they couldn't take it out.
KOCH: Micki was paired with Patricia Latham, whose father, William, died two years ago after being wounded in Iraq. And with Tori Hall, whose Father Kelly (ph), died in 1998 in a plane crash in Germany.
TORI HALL, CAMPER: I remember the funeral, you know, and -- the guys carried him in.
It's good to cry. It's not -- I'm not ashamed of it. Because if you keep it all bundled up, then eventually it's going to come out some way that you don't want.
KOCH: But the camp is about more than grieving. Children learn coping skills. They make crafts to celebrate their loved one's life. They even learn to build relationships with the parents some were too young to know.
BONNIE CARROLL, CAMP FOUNDER: Even if they were infants at the time that their dad was killed, we teach them how to create those memories, how to honor that person and make them a part of their lives.
KOCH: The children too are honored by top military brass.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You lose your daddy? Where?
HALL: In Germany.
KOCH: And they learn how to support one another.
LATHAM: It's different here, because I can talk about it, and I'm not the only one. There's other people that have -- know how it feels.
HALL: It's hard, it's hard, but you'll make it through. I mean, you will go on. You will start over your life.
KOCH: Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, this Memorial Day weekend, we continue to remember those who have sacrificed their lives for this country. We'll have one soldier's story of bravery and dedication straight ahead on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: On this Memorial Day weekend, families across America are remembering their loved ones killed while serving their country. Among the dead being remembered, a 21-year-old Texas soldier whose parents still strongly support the decision to go to war in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOUISE VANDERTULIP, MOTHER: There he is and I think he was getting in trouble for something.
ROBERT VANDERTULIP, FATHER: He was always cutting up. He loved to tell jokes, just, please be serious for one picture.
LOUISE VANDERTULIP: Just one. Give me one serious picture.
ROBERT VANDERTULIP: Not one.
LOUISE VANDERTULIP: Not a single serious picture. When he'd go skiing, he's go racing down the hill. He lived life to the fullest. And I think that's part of why he wanted to see action, why he volunteered for Iraq, why he volunteered for patrol was --
ROBERT VANDERTULIP: Risk.
LOUISE VANDERTULIP: Yeah and he volunteered to go to Iraq which I then got very upset about and he said, mom, I'm going to go anyway. I don't have any commitments. I'm not married.
ROBERT VANDERTULIP: No kids.
LOUISE VANDERTULIP: No kids, you know, better me than somebody else. Their little group would all volunteer to go out on patrol and one of the guys, a husband and a father, was going to be going out on leave in a another couple of weeks and Josiah (ph) told him, no, no, don't go. They talked amongst themselves.
ROBERT VANDERTULIP: And he said I'll take this one and he took it for hem.
LOUISE VANDERTULIP: And he went on patrol and then that's when he was killed. When they first started saying he was a hero and stuff, we all felt like - Josiah, you know? I really respect and admire what Josiah did, and he really is a hero, but it's taken me --
ROBERT VANDERTULIP: It's really hard when you changed his diaper and you've seen him grow up and --
LOUISE VANDERTULIP: It's like realizing three times when he joined the army, when he volunteered to go to Iraq and that when he went out on his patrol. He really did lay down his life.
ROBERT VANDERTULIP: Last July, we were walking around the neighborhood and -- and she said what if he does get killed? What if he does die? And I said to her, how can we enjoy the freedoms that we have and be so selfish as to think that our family can't pay the price that so many other families for the last 200 years have paid the price?
LOUISE VANDERTULIP: Just a proud feeling. It really is serious. There really is a price that has to be paid for what we have and what a hard price.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: This past week Senate compromise on judicial nominees put Arizona's Senator John McCain back in the spotlight. Senator McCain is Wolf Blitzer's guest on "Late Edition" coming up at the top of the hour and he's also one of the subjects of this week's "Reliable Sources." Here's host Howard Kurtz.
HOWARD KURTZ, CNN ANCHOR, RELIABLE SOURCES: Coming up, the media fall in love again with John McCain and the other moderates who helped diffuse the Senate's nuclear showdown on filibusters. Are journalists taking sides here?
Plus was "Newsweek" right on that story about Koran desecration? An FBI report says similar allegations have been made for years. Plus, a newspaper editor defends deception in the search for truth. And traveling with the pack, documentary film maker and author Alexander Pelosi on the flying circus of presidential politics. That's all ahead on "Reliable Sources."
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks a lot, Howard. Let's take a look outside and check on the weather picture with Rob Marciano. Hello to you Rob.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks, Rob. Have a good Sunday.
Start your engines. The race is only a couple hours away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANICA PATRICK, RACECAR DRIVER: It's very difficult for me to think about the fact that this was a dream so long ago and now it's becoming a reality. I'll let my parents and my family remember that right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: She's young and fast on the track. We'll introduce you to the woman turning lots of heads on the racetrack straight ahead on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, it's known as the greatest spectacle in racing. The Indianapolis 500 with its field of 33 drivers gets underway about an hour and a half from now. For a little history, the track was built on 328 acres of farmland back in 1909. It's among the world's best attended single-day sporting events and during the 1990s, the Indianapolis 500 drew crowds of more than 400,000. You might call Danica Patrick the darling of this year's Indy 500. She's the only woman in the field and she's hoping to become the first female to win this big race. CNN's Larry Smith give us a closer look at Patrick and her climb to the top of the world of racing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Danica Patrick lines up for the start of the Indianapolis 500, she'll become only the fourth woman in history to do so.
DANICA PATRICK, 12TH IN IRL DRIVER POINTS: It's very difficult for me to think about the fact that this was a dream so long ago and now it's becoming a reality. I'll let my parents and my family remember that right now. I promise you I won't be thinking about much else other than flip the ignition switch on and let's go.
SMITH: Going is what Patrick has been doing all her life. At the age of 16, she left her home in Roscoe, Illinois and moved to England, alone to improve her racing skills. That helped get her noticed by Bobby Rahal, who owns a racing team with late night host David Letterman, whose show Patrick appeared on earlier this week.
DAVID LETTERMAN: How are you doing?
PATRICK: Here I am, boss.
LETTERMAN: Nice to see you.
SMITH: From TV and magazine interviews to photo shoots, the 23- year-old rookie is making the most of her unique position.
PATRICK: I use being a female to my advantage, but I also just do things that I think are fun. In this wide world of media and sports and attention, you know, we all need to have a little bit of fun with it or we'll just burn out.
SMITH: Despite the media crush, Patrick hasn't noticed any jealousy from the male drivers.
PATRICK: I heard a really great quote from Tony Kanaan and I'm not going to be word for word on it, but it was something along the lines of, I know people are watching her and if they're watching her, they're watching us and that's what the sport needs and so I'm very happy and glad that he said that.
TONY KANAAN, DEFENDING CHAMPION: She's talent and she's different. She's a woman in the middle of 32 guys. I think she does deserve to get more attention.
SMITH: So what's the toughest thing about being in a sport dominated by men?
PATRICK: I think the hardest part is just finding an entire race team of mechanics and engineers and owners that 100 percent believe in you and have the same vision and same goals in mind.
SMITH: One of those goals is to be the first female winner of the Indianapolis 500. Larry Smith, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And that's going to do it for CNN LIVE SUNDAY. Up next, "RELIABLE SOURCES" with Howard Kurtz. Then on "LATE EDITION," Wolf Blitzer goes behind the scenes with U.S. forces talking with the men and women on the ground in the Middle East. And at 2:00 Eastern, "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" takes a look at the three most wanted terrorists.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 29, 2005 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It is 11:00 a.m. at Arlington National Cemetery, 7:00 p.m. in Baghdad where preparations are under way for a crack down on insurgents. Hello everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. Ahead this hour, stopping the insurgents. Coalition troops gear up for a new security offensive. We'll have a live report from Baghdad on operation lightening. Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TORI HALL, CAMPER: It's hard, but you'll make it through. I mean, you will go on. You will start over your life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Children who have suffered an incredible loss try to cope and learn from each other.
And she has a need for speed. Will she outpace them all? Her race to the finish line straight ahead, but first a look at the top stories.
Five bombings and a shooting leaves 17 people dead across Iraq as U.S. and Iraqi troops prepare to turn up the heat on insurgents. The offensive is called operation lightning. CNN's Ryan Chilcote joins us live from Baghdad with more on that in a minute.
Israel cabinet has approved the second phase of a Palestinian prisoner release plan. Under the plan, about 400 prisoners would be freed. About 500 others were released just over three months ago. The release is part of a promise by Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon when he met with Palestinian authority president Mahmoud Abbas in Egypt last February.
Pope Benedict XVI continued his theme of unity as he made his first papal trip today. The pope, who was elected last month, visited a seaport on Italy's Adriatic coast. During his visit, he vowed to work on ending a thousand-year-old rift with the Orthodox Church.
Our top story, Iraq. The death toll is high, tensions are rising and it looks like U.S. troops in Baghdad will get no rest this Memorial Day weekend. Already today, at least 17 people killed in the escalation of insurgent attacks in the capital. Iraqi and U.S. troops are preparing a massive crackdown dubbed "operation lightning." CNN's Ryan Chilcote has details live from Baghdad. Ryan? RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka. We can already see the preparations underway that are being set up by Iraq's security forces. It's all part of "operation lightning." Those security forces are out there right now, setting up checkpoints for what the Iraqi military and police are calling their largest operation ever since the fall of Saddam Hussein. Some 40,000 troops from the Iraqi interior ministry and defense ministries are said to take part in this operation. They're going to be going out, setting up more than 600 checkpoints, fanning out across the city, really trying to seal off the city limits. It's basically, if you will, a cordon and search operation on steroids. Their plan is to try and search as many vehicles as they can and as many homes. The whole goal of this operation really is to try to put a stop to the violence that we've seen here in Iraq over the last month in which nearly 700 Iraqi have been killed. Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Ryan, it seems the violence continues to keep pace, with 17 dead across Iraq. Is there any particular target in these insurgent attacks, meaning are they after Iraqi police or recruits once again for Iraqi security forces?
CHILCOTE: You know, the targets are all over the place today. We've seen Iraqi security forces targeted. In fact, the most recent attack is actually still underway in southern Baghdad, was targeting Iraqi security forces there. Insurgents began by opening up fire, automatic weapons fire on a police patrol just outside of a police station. The police brought in some backup. That's when the insurgents used a car bomb on them and now apparently there's a full- scale firefight underway outside of that police station. We understand at least three people have already been killed there, putting the death toll at 20 already and 35 wounded today.
That in addition to several other attacks that were not targeting Iraqi security forces, one just a little bit earlier than that today in the Iraqi capital outside of the oil ministry. This one was a car bomb detonated by a suicide bomber. It was outside of the fortifications of the base. So the Iraqi police saying that it could have been a lot worse than it was. Still, two people were killed in that attack and another eight wounded. Then there was another car bomb attack just south of Kirkuk, there outside of a school, unfortunately, the military telling us that some of the dead there are children. That attack killed at least two and wounded nine.
And there was another attack, again, a car bomb that went off in the city of Mosul in just a residential neighborhood. All of the people killed in that attack appear to just be bystanders, Iraqi bystanders going about their business. This all coming as a senior U.S. military intelligence official tells us that they've seen a record number of car bombings this month in Iraq, already more than 142 car bombings in the month of May. That beats the record month of April in which there were 135 car bombs. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right. Ryan Chilcote from Baghdad. Thanks so much.
CNN security watch, airline safety, protecting commercial jets against missiles. According to the "New York Times," a missile defense system will soon be installed on the belly of an American Airlines Boeing 767 in Fort Worth, Texas. It will be one of three jets to test the infrared laser-based defense system designed to detect and disable shoulder-fired missiles. Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
On this Memorial Day weekend, Americans are paying tribute to fallen heroes, the men and women who have given their lives for their country, looking now at live pictures from Arlington National cemetery in Virginia. The third U.S. infantry known as the old guard have placed more than 280,000 American flags at grave sites and other areas throughout the cemetery. The tradition known as flags in, dates back four decades.
As he honors the nation's war dead, President Bush is also paying tribute to American troops who are now serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the world. Tomorrow Mr. Bush will take part in the annual wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. CNN national correspondent Bob Franken is at the White House with more on the president's Memorial Day weekend plans.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And of course, this has a particular poignancy, Fredricka, because the president himself describes himself as a wartime president.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN (voice-over): When he returns from Camp David, commander in chief Bush will lead the nation in another solemn Memorial Day salute to those presidents have ordered into battle.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today a new generation of Americans is making its own sacrifice on behalf of peace and freedom and some have given their lives.
FRANKEN: The number of members of the U.S. armed forces who have died in Iraq this month alone is the largest since the country's elections began, what the administration repeatedly describes as a reduced role for the United States military and a growing role for the Iraqis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're going to be writing the constitution this summer that will lead to elections under that constitution later this year. They'll be a brand new government in place, duly elected under a newly-written constitution by the end of the year.
FRANKEN: In their radio address, the opposition Democrats featured former NATO commander and presidential candidate Wesley Clark.
WESLEY CLARK, FMR NATO COMMANDER: It's just a matter of priorities. What could be more important for government than taking care of the men and women who keep our country safe and strong? I believe as Democrats we have our priorities right.
FRANKEN: In Iraq, as well as Afghanistan, U.S. combat troops will continue to fight and die adding to the millions who are remembered by a country that honors their sacrifice.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: And even as they are remembered, it is inescapable, Fredricka, that this is another wartime period that's highly controversial -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Bob, the president heads back to the White House today. What's on his agenda for this week?
FRANKEN: Well, the administration has an awful lot going to right now, including a full-scale review of the anti-terrorism policies. The new emphasis on the global war on terrorism which, of course, has focused on al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, but now there is a genuine debate going on in the administration whether, because al Qaeda has to some degree been neutralized, it needs to be expanded in all of the facets of violent terror.
WHITFIELD: All right. Bob Franken at the White House, thanks so much.
And this programming note, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and joint chiefs of staff Chairman General Richard Myers will be addressing a veteran's group in Washington, D.C. today at 4:00 Eastern. CNN plans live coverage of that.
Behind every one of the war dead honored this Memorial Day weekend are loved ones who have suffered an indescribable loss. A special camp helps the children in particular cope and recover. Kathleen Koch has their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He'd do pushups and we'd all get on his back. And he'd pick us up. He'd go up and then down, and up and down.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Memories of a father no longer alive. Memories military children feel safe to share at Good Grief Camp.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you miss now -- because (INAUDIBLE)?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I never got to know him.
KOCH: The Virginia program pairs children who've lost a loved one with a military mentor, some who've seen their own parents die in military tragedies.
MICKI KUZEWSKI, MENTOR: So, I had to step up and kind of take over and really be there for my mom. And whatever you guys do, don't ever lose your youth. Just enjoy it while you can.
KOCH: Airman First Class Mickey Kuzewski's father, Michael, died in 1996 in a helicopter collision at Camp Lejeune.
KUZEWSKI: I wanted to touch another child's life, and really help them out and guide them through the process of grieving.
PATRICIA LATHAM, GOOD GRIEF CAMPER: He was going to bomb this building, and when he did a piece of metal got right in here, and it got into things so they couldn't take it out.
KOCH: Micki was paired with Patricia Latham, whose father, William, died two years ago after being wounded in Iraq. And with Tori Hall, whose Father Kelly (ph), died in 1998 in a plane crash in Germany.
TORI HALL, CAMPER: I remember the funeral, you know, and -- the guys carried him in.
It's good to cry. It's not -- I'm not ashamed of it. Because if you keep it all bundled up, then eventually it's going to come out some way that you don't want.
KOCH: But the camp is about more than grieving. Children learn coping skills. They make crafts to celebrate their loved one's life. They even learn to build relationships with the parents some were too young to know.
BONNIE CARROLL, CAMP FOUNDER: Even if they were infants at the time that their dad was killed, we teach them how to create those memories, how to honor that person and make them a part of their lives.
KOCH: The children too are honored by top military brass.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You lose your daddy? Where?
HALL: In Germany.
KOCH: And they learn how to support one another.
LATHAM: It's different here, because I can talk about it, and I'm not the only one. There's other people that have -- know how it feels.
HALL: It's hard, it's hard, but you'll make it through. I mean, you will go on. You will start over your life.
KOCH: Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, this Memorial Day weekend, we continue to remember those who have sacrificed their lives for this country. We'll have one soldier's story of bravery and dedication straight ahead on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: On this Memorial Day weekend, families across America are remembering their loved ones killed while serving their country. Among the dead being remembered, a 21-year-old Texas soldier whose parents still strongly support the decision to go to war in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOUISE VANDERTULIP, MOTHER: There he is and I think he was getting in trouble for something.
ROBERT VANDERTULIP, FATHER: He was always cutting up. He loved to tell jokes, just, please be serious for one picture.
LOUISE VANDERTULIP: Just one. Give me one serious picture.
ROBERT VANDERTULIP: Not one.
LOUISE VANDERTULIP: Not a single serious picture. When he'd go skiing, he's go racing down the hill. He lived life to the fullest. And I think that's part of why he wanted to see action, why he volunteered for Iraq, why he volunteered for patrol was --
ROBERT VANDERTULIP: Risk.
LOUISE VANDERTULIP: Yeah and he volunteered to go to Iraq which I then got very upset about and he said, mom, I'm going to go anyway. I don't have any commitments. I'm not married.
ROBERT VANDERTULIP: No kids.
LOUISE VANDERTULIP: No kids, you know, better me than somebody else. Their little group would all volunteer to go out on patrol and one of the guys, a husband and a father, was going to be going out on leave in a another couple of weeks and Josiah (ph) told him, no, no, don't go. They talked amongst themselves.
ROBERT VANDERTULIP: And he said I'll take this one and he took it for hem.
LOUISE VANDERTULIP: And he went on patrol and then that's when he was killed. When they first started saying he was a hero and stuff, we all felt like - Josiah, you know? I really respect and admire what Josiah did, and he really is a hero, but it's taken me --
ROBERT VANDERTULIP: It's really hard when you changed his diaper and you've seen him grow up and --
LOUISE VANDERTULIP: It's like realizing three times when he joined the army, when he volunteered to go to Iraq and that when he went out on his patrol. He really did lay down his life.
ROBERT VANDERTULIP: Last July, we were walking around the neighborhood and -- and she said what if he does get killed? What if he does die? And I said to her, how can we enjoy the freedoms that we have and be so selfish as to think that our family can't pay the price that so many other families for the last 200 years have paid the price?
LOUISE VANDERTULIP: Just a proud feeling. It really is serious. There really is a price that has to be paid for what we have and what a hard price.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: This past week Senate compromise on judicial nominees put Arizona's Senator John McCain back in the spotlight. Senator McCain is Wolf Blitzer's guest on "Late Edition" coming up at the top of the hour and he's also one of the subjects of this week's "Reliable Sources." Here's host Howard Kurtz.
HOWARD KURTZ, CNN ANCHOR, RELIABLE SOURCES: Coming up, the media fall in love again with John McCain and the other moderates who helped diffuse the Senate's nuclear showdown on filibusters. Are journalists taking sides here?
Plus was "Newsweek" right on that story about Koran desecration? An FBI report says similar allegations have been made for years. Plus, a newspaper editor defends deception in the search for truth. And traveling with the pack, documentary film maker and author Alexander Pelosi on the flying circus of presidential politics. That's all ahead on "Reliable Sources."
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks a lot, Howard. Let's take a look outside and check on the weather picture with Rob Marciano. Hello to you Rob.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks, Rob. Have a good Sunday.
Start your engines. The race is only a couple hours away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANICA PATRICK, RACECAR DRIVER: It's very difficult for me to think about the fact that this was a dream so long ago and now it's becoming a reality. I'll let my parents and my family remember that right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: She's young and fast on the track. We'll introduce you to the woman turning lots of heads on the racetrack straight ahead on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, it's known as the greatest spectacle in racing. The Indianapolis 500 with its field of 33 drivers gets underway about an hour and a half from now. For a little history, the track was built on 328 acres of farmland back in 1909. It's among the world's best attended single-day sporting events and during the 1990s, the Indianapolis 500 drew crowds of more than 400,000. You might call Danica Patrick the darling of this year's Indy 500. She's the only woman in the field and she's hoping to become the first female to win this big race. CNN's Larry Smith give us a closer look at Patrick and her climb to the top of the world of racing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Danica Patrick lines up for the start of the Indianapolis 500, she'll become only the fourth woman in history to do so.
DANICA PATRICK, 12TH IN IRL DRIVER POINTS: It's very difficult for me to think about the fact that this was a dream so long ago and now it's becoming a reality. I'll let my parents and my family remember that right now. I promise you I won't be thinking about much else other than flip the ignition switch on and let's go.
SMITH: Going is what Patrick has been doing all her life. At the age of 16, she left her home in Roscoe, Illinois and moved to England, alone to improve her racing skills. That helped get her noticed by Bobby Rahal, who owns a racing team with late night host David Letterman, whose show Patrick appeared on earlier this week.
DAVID LETTERMAN: How are you doing?
PATRICK: Here I am, boss.
LETTERMAN: Nice to see you.
SMITH: From TV and magazine interviews to photo shoots, the 23- year-old rookie is making the most of her unique position.
PATRICK: I use being a female to my advantage, but I also just do things that I think are fun. In this wide world of media and sports and attention, you know, we all need to have a little bit of fun with it or we'll just burn out.
SMITH: Despite the media crush, Patrick hasn't noticed any jealousy from the male drivers.
PATRICK: I heard a really great quote from Tony Kanaan and I'm not going to be word for word on it, but it was something along the lines of, I know people are watching her and if they're watching her, they're watching us and that's what the sport needs and so I'm very happy and glad that he said that.
TONY KANAAN, DEFENDING CHAMPION: She's talent and she's different. She's a woman in the middle of 32 guys. I think she does deserve to get more attention.
SMITH: So what's the toughest thing about being in a sport dominated by men?
PATRICK: I think the hardest part is just finding an entire race team of mechanics and engineers and owners that 100 percent believe in you and have the same vision and same goals in mind.
SMITH: One of those goals is to be the first female winner of the Indianapolis 500. Larry Smith, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And that's going to do it for CNN LIVE SUNDAY. Up next, "RELIABLE SOURCES" with Howard Kurtz. Then on "LATE EDITION," Wolf Blitzer goes behind the scenes with U.S. forces talking with the men and women on the ground in the Middle East. And at 2:00 Eastern, "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" takes a look at the three most wanted terrorists.
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